


Another Close Encounter

by Jersey_Jimmy



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, god damn this is short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jersey_Jimmy/pseuds/Jersey_Jimmy
Summary: Once again, Rei's curiosity nearly spells disaster for herself and Asuka. Once again, Rei is determined to not give up on their investigation. Once again, Asuka is worried about Rei.
Relationships: Ayanami Rei/Souryuu Asuka Langley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Another Close Encounter

She hadn’t said a word since they had driven off.

Rei had been watching Asuka intently for most of that time, watching her hands practically strangle her steering wheel, watching her stare hypnotically towards the miles of the interstate ahead. She’d been in that stupor since they’d hurled themselves into her Mercedes SLK and fled from...

...she shuddered. She never liked thinking about what they’d actually _do_ to her if they got the chance.

Rain began to trickle down as they passed through a section of the highway that seemed like it had been under construction forever. Asuka unflinchingly moved a hand towards the wiper stalk, then returned it to the wheel, gripping just as tightly as before. The lights of the construction vehicles they drove past illuminated her ghost-white face.

“...hey, you hungry?”

Hearing her voice after such an unusually long silence always made Rei jump. She turned to Asuka, tilting her head slightly. “Yes, but... I would have assumed you would want to go home first.”

“So you’re hungry, then. Got it.” Rei’s attempt to protest would be drowned out by the snarling of the SLK’s engine as Asuka passed a semi before seamlessly gliding onto the offramp. Then again... right now didn’t seem like the best time for an argument.

They drove along the suburb’s main thoroughfare for a bit, Rei’s eyes hopping from billboard to billboard as they did, before Asuka turned into the parking lot of a walk-up burger joint. Once she’d pulled into a spot, though, the redhead made no moves to turn off the car.

“You’re scaring me, Wonder Girl.” Asuka sunk into her seat, a bit of burnt-orange hair falling over her face as she looked towards Rei. “I mean... what is this, the third time something like this has happened this month? If we keep this up, then... _Scheiße,_ we can’t keep gettin’ lucky forever.”

Rei shook her head. “We are already in too deep. We could give up, but... it would not stop them. There is a... reason they keep coming here.”

“We still don’t know what that reason _is,_ though... for all we know, they could’ve been peaceful, and... I mean, that bridge is burned now, but...”

“They were never peaceful,” Rei curtly retorted. “My first interaction with them... they got into my house in the night. Whatever they are here for, they are hostile... we need to find out why.”

“I understand that, but...”

Asuka took Rei’s hand, and for a moment, lingered on the sensation, as if it were potentially the last time she’d do so... and after the encounter they had just had, Rei found it hard to blame her. She was just grateful that Asuka’s hands were far warmer than theirs.

“...Rei, I don’t wanna lose you,” the redhead continued. “Every time this happens, it feels like they’ve gotten closer and closer, and... it feels inevitable. I... I _know_ we’ve got to figure out what they keep coming here for... but if they run outta patience and launch a full assault, then I don’t think we’d have a chance.”

Rei thought back to earlier. Wildly swinging an aluminum baseball bat as Asuka kept them at bay with her fire axe... they’d managed to escape, sure, but they were only up against five of them. What would they do against ten? Fifty?

How many of them _were_ there?

She let out a deep sigh. “...I know that I have to be more careful. I apologize.”

“Apology accepted.” Asuka’s grip on Rei’s hand strengthened slightly. “And you’re not alone, remember. If you’re gonna see this through, then so am I, got it?”

Of course, the possibilities of what terrible fates could befall them continued to race through Rei’s mind... but with Asuka’s words, her grasp, her _warmth,_ not even the worst of them felt as if it couldn’t be overcome. Not if they were looking out for each other.

It felt wonderful to have someone she could say that about.

“Thank you, Asuka.”

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, this was really short, but I wanted to do an asurei-ish thing for valentine's day and also wanted to write something set in my modern verse for them. hope you liked it!


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